Parallels Desktop Help - Use macOS as a Guest OS

Use macOS as a Guest OS

You can install a copy of macOS in a virtual machine and use it as a guest operating system. This can be useful, for example, if you want to test software in another version of macOS or without having to log in and out of your main account.

Note : in the App Store Edition, this feature is only available on Intel Mac machines, and not available on Apple Silicon Macs. For more information on the App Store Edition, follow this link .

By default,

To install macOS in a virtual machine:

Open Parallels Desktop and choose File > New or use the + button in the top right corner of the Control Center .
Under Free Systems , select Download macOS , click Continue , and follow the onscreen instructions. This process installs the latest publicly available version of macOS.
If you wish to install another version of macOS, use the Install Windows, Linux, or macOS from an Image File option and follow the onscreen instructions. This method also supports drag'n'drop.

Note : Starting from Parallels Desktop version 19, you can use .ipsw files to setup macOS virtual machines on Macs with Apple Silicon.

When using macOS as a guest OS, you can use it in Coherence mode , so that guest OS application windows appear on the host OS desktop alongside host OS applications.

You can also copy and paste text and drag and drop files between host and guest macOS, just as you can when using Windows as a guest OS.

You can set whether function keys and other system shortcuts trigger actions in the host or guest version of macOS .

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